Kim Possible
Kim Possible is an American animated sitcom created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show revolves around an eponymous high school student Kim Possible, a teenager tasked with fighting crime on a regular basis while coping with everyday issues commonly associated with adolescence. Kim is aided by her best friend and clumsy sidekick Ron Stoppable, his pet naked mole rat Rufus, and 10 year-old computer genius Wade. Known collectively as Team Possible, Kim and Ron's missions primarily require them to thwart the evil plans of the mad scientist–supervillain duo Dr. Drakken and his sidekick Shego, though they encounter several other enemies as well throughout the show. The show is set in the fictional town of Middleton and parodies American culture and society, television, and the human condition. Schooley and McCorkle were recruited by the network to develop an animated series, and conceived Kim Possible as a show about a talented action heroine and her less competent sidekick. Inspired by the scarcity of female-led animated series at the time, the episodes are based on the creators' own high school experiences, combine elements of action, adventure, drama, romance and comedy to appeal to both girls and boys while parodying the James Bond franchise, spy and superhero films and teen sitcoms. Writers Schooley and McCorkle designed the character Shego to appeal to the older and younger audience, making her the sexiest and most popular female villian of 20th Century Fox. Shego's athelete form and sharp tone makes her highly noticeable by many of the male audience. Distinct from other Fox shows in its use of self-referential humor, Schooley and McCorkle developed fast-paced sitcom-style dialogue in order to cater to adult viewers. With a strong emphasis on modern-day technology and the Internet, the series also explores themes such as girl power, feminism, and relationships. It receives heavy comparisons to other female-driven action shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias and The Powerpuff Girls. Defying initially low expectations, the show premiered to critical acclaim and continued to be praised for its humor, writing, and animation. It is considered one of the greatest cartoons of all time. It is the fourth longest-running american sitcom, behind The Simpsons, The Geo Team and Family Guy. It also ties Kim Possible ''with ''Cyberchase as one of the ninth longest-running American animated television series. Maintaining strong ratings since 2002, Kim Possible's premiere was the most-watched of any Fox series. Originally canceled at the end of its third season in 2005. Due to strong DVD sales, Fox unprecedentedly ordered more episodes of the series. Nominated for 46 Emmy Awards, Kim Possible won 83, including 6 for Outstanding Animated Program. Airing sixteen seasons and 342 episodes as of May 12, 2019, the show is considered to be one of Fox's greatest and most successful. The success of the series spawned a theatrical movie, Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama in 2005. A live-action movie based on the television series was released on February 15, 2019. Currently, Kim Possible finished airing its sixteenth season, which began airing September 30, 2018. Kim Possible was renewed for a seventeenth and eighteenth season on February 6, 2019. Kim Possible ''is a joint production by Clay Productions and 20th Century Fox Television and syndicated by 20th Television. ''Kim Possible received acclaim throughout its first three seasons, which are generally considered its "Golden Age". Erik Adams of The A.V. Club named it "television's crowning achievement regardless of format". Kim's exclamatory catchphrase "What's the sitch?" has been adopted into the English language, while Kim Possible has influenced many other later adult-oriented animated sitcoms. However, it has also been criticized for a perceived decline in quality over the years. Premise Kim Possible takes place primarily within the United States town of Middleton and focuses on the life and adventures of Kim Possible, an accomplished high school student who fights crime on a regular basis, assisted by her best friend and sidekick Ron Stoppable and Rufus, his pet naked mole rat. Ron's personal fears, insecurities, and clumsiness tend to jeopardize the success of their own missions. Kim and Ron are aided remotely by Wade, a 10 year-old computer genius who seldom leaves his bedroom and communicates with the duo via a device he invented himself known as a Kimmunicator. Together, the foursome is known as Team Possible. The majority of Kim's missions involve her traveling to various destinations around the world to rescue citizens from harm and fight a variety of enemies and villains, the most frequent of whom are Dr. Drakken, a mad scientist constantly plotting world domination, and his superpowered sidekick Shego, who possesses the ability to generate powerful energy blasts and emit them from her hands, making her the heroine's most dangerous opponent. Not yet of age to drive herself to most of her missions, Kim often relies on favors from various people she has assisted in the past for transportation. Attending Middleton High School alongside Ron, her best female friend Monique and rival classmate Bonnie Rockwaller, Kim lives with her family: father James, a rocket scientist, and Ann, a brain surgeon, as well as her younger brothers, identical twins Jim and Tim, both of whom possess genius-level intellect. Fully aware of their daughter's occupation, Kim's parents remain completely supportive of her crime-fighting endeavors so long as she continues to obey curfew, but tend to be more-so concerned about the character's performance in school, as well as her love life. Lacking a secret identity, Kim is world famous and her profession is constantly acknowledged by both her classmates and teachers. Kim Possible also explores the highs and lows of Kim's life as a high school student attempting to navigate dating, captaining her high school's cheerleading squad, academics, homework, exams and eventually learning to drive, all the while striving to maintain a healthy work-life balance; fighting crime typically comes to Kim more naturally than the more standard components of adolescence. As revealed in Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time, Kim became involved in crime-fighting rather unintentionally. In a series of events prior to the beginning of the series, a pre-adolescent Kim, in search of a job, creates her own website, kimpossible.com, to promote her burgeoning babysitting and lawn mowing services, promoting it using the slogan "I can do anything". When he becomes trapped by his own laser security system, a billionaire accidentally contacts Kim while he was attempting to reach Team Impossible, to whose aid she immediately rushes. As news of the character's heroism spreads, her website is soon flooded with e-mails from around the globe requesting her assistance, and Kim ultimately decides to use her talents help the world, becoming a superhero. Setting Main article: Middleton The primary setting of Kim Possible ''is Middleton. ''More coming soon! Characters Main article: List of Kim Possible characters * Kimberly Ann "Kim" Possible (voiced by Christy Carlson Romano): a confident, adventurous, and popular high school student who moonlights as a crime-fighter, dividing much of her time between saving the world and attending cheerleading practice. Although protecting the world comes to her quite naturally, Kim actually finds growing up as a teenager much more challenging, struggling with everyday personal issues that range from schoolwork to bullying, embarrassment, relationships, and self-doubt, continuing to become flustered around boys she likes despite her own good looks, multiple talents, and heroics. A straight-A student, Kim is also a perfectionist. Kim's catchphrases include "No big", "So not the drama" and "What's the sitch?", short for "situation". Combined, her first and last names are a pun of the word "impossible". * Ronald "Ron" Stoppable (voiced by Will Friedle): Kim's sidekick; her childhood best friend (and boyfriend as of season four) who, unlike Kim, is cowardly, socially awkward, clumsy and unpopular with his peers. Although Ron is far less competent within the realm of crime-fighting than Kim, he has proven his merit as a teammate on multiple occasions by gradually maturing and gaining confidence over the course of the series. He is regarded by other characters as a crucial component to Kim's unusually high success rate in crime-fighting and is highly talented in cooking. Known for his catchphrase "Booyah", Ron suffers from a severe fear of monkeys and serves as the show's comic relief. His first and last names are a pun of the word "unstoppable". * Rufus (voiced by Nancy Cartwright): Ron's pet naked mole rat who accompanies Kim and Ron on their missions, traveling in his owner's pocket. * Wade Load (voiced by Tahj Mowry): a 10-year-old computer genius who informs Kim and Ron about upcoming missions from his bedroom, remotely assisting, guiding and equipping them with useful tools, weapons and gadgets, including Kim's Kimmunicator, via which he communicates and provides his teammates with vital information. Wade is also responsible for maintaining Kim's website. * Dr. Drakken (voiced by John DiMaggio): born Drew Theodore P. Lipsky, Drakken is Kim's archnemesis and most resilient adversary. He is a mad scientist plotting world domination, although most of his schemes fail at the hands of Kim because he lacks both the patience and intelligence to perfect his ideas, which often suffer as a result of his own mistakes and oversights. His skin has permanently been turned blue as a result of a laboratory accident. Additionally, Drakken is a former college roommate of Kim's father James. * Shego (voiced by Nicole Sullivan): Kim's primary combatant and most dangerous opponent; a supervillain with the superhuman ability to generate powerful green energy blasts from her hands. KShego is Drakken's sarcastic – but far more intelligent – sidekick, who openly mocks the scientist with little regard for his seniority. The character finds herself making up for Drakken's incompetence on multiple occasions. Originally the lone female member of a team of superheroes known as Team Go alongside her four brothers, Shego eventually makes a full conversion to villainy after ultimately growing attracted to the evil she once fought against (in addition to finding her brothers annoying). Smart, athletic, and attractive, Shego is essentially a "dark reflection" of Kim, as well as the only character the heroine truly has reason to fear, although the two archrivals share a mutal respect for each other at the same time. Some episodes revolve around characters other than Kim and Ron, particularly villains, who have been provided with nearly as much back story as the heroes. Other significant recurring characters include Kim's parents, Drs. James and Ann Possible (Gary Cole and Jean Smart, respectively), and her younger brothers, twin geniuses Jim and Tim (Shaun Fleming, seasons 1–3; Spencer Fox, seasons 4-13; Huckleberry Milner, seasons 14-present), to whom she refers as "Tweebs" (a portmanteau of "twin" and "dweebs"); the twins speak their own made up language known as "Twinnish". Kim shares a bitter rivalry with fellow cheerleader Bonnie Rockwaller (Kirsten Storms), who, unlike Kim, is selfish, inconsiderate, superficial, and has a tendency to be mean when angry – her "polar opposite", essentially representing the kind of person Kim could have been if not for her humility. Kim's best female friend is Monique (Raven-Symoné), who is occasionally forced into accompanying Kim on select missions when Ron is unavailable. With her fashion and pop culture expertise, Monique bridges the worlds between Kim's high school and crime-fighting lives, also serving as something of a guidance counselor. Although Drakken and Shego are Kim and Ron's most frequent opponents, the characters occasionally battle a diverse cast of other villains, namely Monkey Fist (Tom Kane), who Ron particularly dislikes due to his fear of monkeys; Scottish golfer Duff Killigan; father-son billionaires Señor Senior, Sr. and Señor Senior, Jr, who treat villainy as a hobby out of boredom, and Professor Dementor (Patton Oswalt). The show includes an array of quirky supporting characters, which include Ron's family Mr. Stoppable, Mrs. Stoppable and Hana Stoppable, the school substitute teacher Steve Barkin, Bueno Nacho manager Ned, extended Possible family members Nana Possible and Cousin Larry, superhero group Team Go, townspeople such as Theodore F. Hison (Robert Stainton), Mayor James Pucksbottom (Billy Crystal), Nick Smith (Jason Lee), Eddie Lioose (Owen Wilson), Jack Binaski (Geo G.), Wendy Shelby (Grey DeLisle), Grodi Shelby (Tony Daniels), Frank McDilly (Tom Kenny), and Neil Ross (Martin Sherman), and Smarty Mart and Club Banana owner Martin Smarty. Production Conception and main characters Main article: History of Kim Possible Long-time collaborators and veteran Fox writers, Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle had already been writing for Fox for several years, contributing to the network's male-led animated series The Simpsons, Family Guy ''and ''Futurama. Although they had enjoyed working on those projects, Schooley and McCorkle were becoming interested in contributing to "something original". At the same time, the writers learned that Fox had become interested in developing a show featuring ordinary children in extraordinary circumstances. Thus, the network commissioned Schooley and McCorkle to create an animated series geared towards the nine to 14 year-old demographic that was also capable of entertaining older audiences at the same time. While traveling in an elevator on their way back to their office from their lunch break, McCorkle said to Schooley, "Kim Possible. She can do anything", to which Schooley responded, "Ron Stoppable, he can’t", and nearly the entire premise of Kim Possible naturally unfolded thereafter. According to Schooley and McCorkle, both lead characters' names indicate that Kim Possible "is going to be an arched show that is a little bit over the top, but also that the girl is going to be the action lead and the guy is going to be funny." Conceiving all main characters themselves, Rufus and Wade were eventually created and added to the roster, but the series essentially remains about Kim "who is incredibly competent in the action world but challenged in the real world" while "Ron would be challenged everywhere." With its main duo finally established, Kim Possible became the easiest show Schooley and McCorkle had ever developed. One of Fox's earliest forays into developing an entirely original animated series "from scratch", Kim Possible was born out of the creators' realization that there were few animated series starring strong female characters at the time and created Kim as "a character that ... girls can look up to", inspired by their own young daughters. The creators were also influenced by their own childhood heroes James Bond and Captain Kirk from Star Trek, and wanted Kim to resemble a character their daughters could idolise similarly. Despite being a "strong female role model", Schooley maintained that heroism "doesn't help Kim a bit when she comes face-to-face with her latest school crush." Unlike traditional superheroes, Kim is entirely devoid of both superpowers and a secret identity; the creators avoided making the character "impervious" like most comic book superheroes tend to be because they wanted both her and Ron to remain relatable to younger viewers. Working completely independently from government spy organizations, Kim's crime-fighting abilities are drawn from real-life activities such as cheerleading and gymnastics, "something that any kid…in the world could do", according to the creators. Executive producers McCorkle and Schooley serve as executive producers and showrunners during the show's entire run, and also function as creative consultants. Clive Nakayashiki became an executive producer for season 15 and subsequent seasons. Voice actors Main articles: List of cast members and List of guest stars uch of Kim Possible's cast consists of Disney Channel and ABC alumnae, as well as actors known for their roles on other popular animated and comedy series. After auditioning several actresses to voice the title character, then-16 year-old Christy Carlson Romano was finally cast as Kim after first being introduced to Schooley and McCorkle by Disney Channel executives. Romano had already been well known to Disney Channel audiences for her portrayal of Ren Stevens on the series Even Stevens, and began voicing Kim while completing her stint on the show. Her first voice acting role, Romano immediately identified with her character because both were "dealing with teenage issues" at the same time, comparing Kim's challenge of battling both her personal life and villains to herself balancing schoolwork with her budding acting career; the actress was forced to forfeit her own senior prom due to Kim Possible commitments. Describing her character as "very ambitious, very skilled, very smart," Romano told The New York Times "I've tried to make her a good role model. Her confidence and her sincerity really shine through." One episode in particular, "Blush", was inspired by Romano's modesty and tendency to blush at the slightest compliment. Romano's performance as Kim was nominated for an Emmy Award. Recognized for his ability to play "over-the-top characters", Will Friedle, best remembered for his performance as Eric Matthews on the sitcom Boy Meets World, was cast as Ron. Actor Neil Patrick Harris had auditioned for the role, as did actor John Cena before he decided to pursue a professional wrestling career. Schooley attributes much of the show's success to Romano and Friedle's chemistry, explaining, "they add something to this that makes it more than a typical gag-oriented cartoon." To prepare herself for the role of Rufus, Nancy Cartwright, best known for her long-running voice work as Bart Simpson on another Fox show, The Simpsons, researched naked mole rats extensively to the point of which she became "a font of useless trivia" and knowledge. Cartwright cites Rufus among her two most difficult characters to voice due to the constant use of her diaphragm required to produce 18 mole rat sound effects. Her performance earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program. John DiMaggio was cast as Drakken based on his vocal performance as Bender on Fox's animated sitcom Futurama. The creators mused, "Drakken is as funny as he is because of how funny John is. Like any of the great voiceover guys, he can do multiple voices. He also just has a terrific comedic sense", while director and animator Steve Loter described both Friedle and DiMaggio as "experts in ad-libbing." Sullivan's first recording session opposite DiMaggio established a chemistry between the two voice actors and their respective characters, out of which Shego's signature sarcasm was introduced and eventually expanded upon. During the show's inaugural season, the actors generally recorded separate from each other, but Friedle, DiMaggio and Sullivan experienced opportunities to record together during the second season. Having been attending high school in New York at the time, Romano would mostly work remotely and usually be "phone patched in" whenever necessary; there is only one occasion during which the entire main cast recorded together. Gary Cole voiced Dr. James Timothy Possible, Kim Possible's father. Cole also had a hand in voicing Harvey Birdman, the main title character in Adult Swim's Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Tahj Mowry, who plays T.J. Henderson on Fox's sitcom Smart Guy, voices Wade. In terms of recurring and guest roles, Designing Women's Jean Smart voices Kim's mother Ann. Kirsten Storms voiced Kim's high school rival Bonnie while portraying Belle on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. Prior to Kim Possible, Storms had starred in Disney Channel's Zenon film series. That's So Raven's Raven-Symoné voices Kim's female best friend Monique, cast based on her reputation as a comedic actress and ability to deliver a punchline. Señor Senior, Sr. and Señor Senior, Jr. are voiced by Ricardo Montalban and Nestor Carbonell, respectively. Friedle's Boy Meets World co-star Rider Strong voices Brick Flag, Bonnie's boyfriend. Ashley Tisdale of Disney Channel's High School Musical film series and sitcom The Suite Life of Zack and Cody was offered the role of Season 4 villain Camille Leon. That's So Raven's Anneliese van der Pol voiced a guest role in the episode "And The Mole Rat Will Be CGI" as Heather, an actress hired to play Kim in a film adaptation of her life, serving as her first voice-acting role. Loter had always been interested in working with the cast of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer but this idea never came to fruition; one particularly famous actor refused a villainous guest role in Season 4 because he was insulted to have been asked to voice an animated character on a television series. Like The Simpsons,'' Family Guy'','' South Park'' and Futurama, many episodes of Kim Possible ''feature guest voices from a wide range of professions, including actors, entertainers, bands, musicians, and scientists. Many guest-stars voiced supporting characters, although many voiced themselves. Repeat "special guest" cast members include Erin Brockovich, Minnie Driver, Isla Fisher, Kelsey Grammer and Edward Norton. Writing and development ''Main article: List of writers Serving as executive producers in addition to writers throughout the entire series, Schooley and McCorkle oversaw the show for its entire duration to maintain consistency. As executive producers, Schooley and McCorkle were mostly involved in the writing process, focusing mainly on plot and dialogue, while storyboarding was chiefly handled by Loter. The writing staff consisted of both Fox employees and freelance writers. Much of the series is based on both Schooley and McCorkle's own experiences growing up as teenagers in high school. Although essentially a comedy series, Schooley and McCorkle also combined elements of adventure, relationships, and humor in order to appeal to both boys, who are primarily interested in action, and girls, who are more-so attracted to relationships and character development, aware of "ancient truisms" surrounding the belief that boys are generally less likely to watch a series starring a female lead, while girls seldom exhibit such reservations when the casting situation is reversed. Without alienating younger viewers, to whom the show refuses to "talk down", the writing in Kim Possible is "a little older than" that of traditional Fox animated series. Additionally, the show heavily parodies the popular James Bond films and has pop culture references. Kim Possible's showrunners were heavily influenced by Marvel Comics, particularly the Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and X-Men comic book series. One particularly strong influence is found in Dr. Drakken and James Possible's former friendship, whose relationship closely mirrors that of the Fantastic Four's Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom and Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, respectively. Some of the show's plots and ideas are drawn from the lives of both creators' daughters; the decision to have Ron eventually join his school's football team was inspired by Schooley's daughter being involved in her high school band, which resulted in them attending several school football matches. Citing Ron as his favorite character, McCorkle admitted that he reminds him of his high school self. Although not as strong an action hero as Kim, at the same time the creators were careful to highlight Ron's courage and attributes by emphasizing the fact that he constantly finds himself in dangerous situations. The creators had always intended for Kim and Ron to eventually become romantically involved but avoided this storyline in fear of "painting ourselves in a corner", citing Sam and Diane's ill-fated relationship in the sitcom Cheers as an example. Design and animation Creating the Kim Possible universe and environment was very much a collaborative process between Schooley and McCorkle, Fox, the character designers, and the cast, who were also encouraged to contribute their own ideas. Although Schooley and McCorkle participated in designing Kim, the majority of that particular task was the combined efforts of Loter, inaugural season director Chris Bailey, art director Alan Bodner and character designer Stephen Silver, each of whom had worked together on previous animated projects. Due to their extensive animation experience, Schooley and McCorkle were aware that "Kim had to be an appealing character", while Ron would be more-so "goofy-appealing". Evolving dramatically over the course of three months, Kim, who had originally been designed to resemble a "standard" athletic-looking blonde heroine, underwent several changes. At one point, the character's appearance was based on that of video game character Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider franchise until Fox abandoned this concept in favor of one more akin to that of a 14 year-old girl as opposed to a bombshell. Admitting that Kim would have been their dream girl in high school, the creators joked, "She would have been way out of our class though." Loter typically visualized whatever script he was provided with after they had been written. With characters drawn with large heads and eyes, the show's colorful, "hip and retro" style is reminiscent of "campy" spy films released during the 1960s and 1970s. The New York Times observed that the show's retro setting is more similar to that of The Jetsons than The Simpsons. Using a limited animation style, the characters wear a wide variety of costumes and hairstyles. Opting for a "simplicity that was the hallmark of" the 1960s, some of the architecture in Kim Possible is reminiscent of lairs owned by James Bond villains, while Bodner was inspired by the graphic design of posters Fox used during the same decade, as well a Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble. Four different animation studios animated the series: Rough Draft Korea, Starburst Animation Studios, Toon City and Hanho Heung-Up Co., Ltd. The series began high-definition production in Season 6; the first episode, "Take My Life, Please", aired February 15, 2009. The move to HDTV included a new opening sequence. Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley called it a complicated change because it affected the timing and composition of animation. Music Composer Adam Berry was responsible for scoring the series. Berry was also responsible for creating music for the first three seasons of Comedy Central's South Park. While the music in Kim Possible is mostly guitar-driven, Berry's scoring experience prior to the show had been exclusively orchestral, composing scores using only a keyboard. A guitarist since the age of six, Berry himself provided all the guitar and bass musical cues in Kim Possible. Although discussing whether or not popular music featured in the series should be stylistically similar to the score, Disney decided to avoid limiting the show to then-current musical trends because, according to Berry, "trying to be current is one of the best ways to sound dated." While themes of electronic music are heard during the scene's fight sequences, guitar riffs of "Call Me, Beep Me" are reprised throughout episodes. Smash Mouth lead singer Steve Harwell made a guest appearance in the Season 2 episode "Queen Bebe" in January 2004. The third season introduced several character-specific songs. Cancellation In terms of ratings, Kim Possible continued to perform consistently well into its second and third seasons. Typically, series that originate on Fox seldom exceed three seasons and 59 episodes before they are canceled and Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley were fired from Fox and moved to Nickelodeon to work on an untitled project that would become The Penguins of Madagascar. In 2005, production on Kim Possible ended following the release of its film Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama ''after airing three seasons and 59 episodes. Cult success and revival The complete first and second seasons were released on DVD on May 17, 2005, and the show became a cult phenomenon, selling 400,000 copies within one month. Sales of the DVD set reached 2.2 million copies,62 becoming the best-selling television DVD of 2005 and the second-highest-selling television DVD ever, behind the first season of Comedy Central's ''Chappelle's Show. The third-season DVD release also sold more than a million copies. The show's popularity in DVD sales rekindled Fox's interest, and, on November 29, 2005, Fox ordered more episodes of the show and re-hired Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley. Kim Possible joined an elite handful of television series to have been brought back from cancellation by its cult following; its order to fulfill 20 new episodes as opposed to the usual 13 to 18 was also unprecedented for a revived series, marking the first revival of a television show based on DVD sales. After a year-long hiatus, Season 4 initially premiered exclusively on Fox website before finally returning to Fox on February 10, 2007, prior to which an image featuring a watch-sized rendition of the Kimmunicator had been leaked onto the internet. Style and themes Main articles: Media in Kim Possible ''and ''Politics in Kim Possible Episodes typically adhere to a simple, similar format, featuring a power-hungry villain who Kim and Ron must somehow prevent from taking over the world. Although primarily an action-comedy series, Music in Television: Channels of Listening author James Deaville observed that Kim Possible adheres to the long-standing tradition of combining adventure with comedy in animated television. According to Telebisyon, "The show is fairly action-oriented, but also has a strong, light-hearted comedic atmosphere". In addition to action, comedy and adventure, Kim Possible's storylines also explore elements of romance and drama. With a tendency to not take itself seriously, Kim Possible both parodies and pays homage to the spy, action hero, and superhero genres, its comedy benefiting from the show's emphasis on "over-the-top plots" and circumstances; Shego's own family of superheroes, Team Go, is a deliberate parody of the Marvel superhero team the Fantastic Four. Self-referential in its humor that avoids talking down to its viewers, the series also parodies the teen sitcom genre, teenage fads and trends in general, and sometimes even makes fun of its own plot holes and oversights, while occasionally adopting common cartoon and sitcom tropes. In addition to other "mainstays" of modern-day youth, technology serves an important role in the series, specifically the Internet and Kim's gadgets, the most significant of which is a cell phone-like device known as a Kimmunicator, designed to help Kim communicate with Wade and allow her access to virtually any information she desires. McCorkle elaborated on the show's emphasis on technology: "Using the Internet theme in the series became an easy launching pad partially because it is such a major part of the fabric of teen life and the interactive possibilities are endless ... It's as though we get to play James Bond's 'Q' for each episode -- the more imaginative the toy, the better." Particularly desirable to younger viewers, technology allows Kim to travel around the world effortlessly and to some extent mirrors children's ability to speak to anyone anywhere in the world via the Internet. Kim's ability to travel virtually anywhere around the world within a short period of time is left largely unexplained; BuzzFeed referred to Wade as an "example that sitting in front of your computer all day is actually the most powerful position to be in." The fact that Wade never leaves his bedroom could potentially indicate that he suffers from agoraphobia. Kim is raised in a nuclear family. Unlike Fox's other animated sitcoms such as The Simpsons and Family Guy, both of Kim's parents are intelligent, accomplished and attractive; Kim's own intelligence is often attributed to the fact that she is born to a rocket scientist father and neurosurgeon mother. Kim's inherent confidence is a Possible family trait; her father James, who views women as equals, proudly reiterates the phrase "Nothing is impossible for a Possible" on numerous occasions. In her younger years, Kim's grandmother "Nana" Possible fought crime much like Kim herself. Kim Possible approaches the subject of the friend zonevia Kim and Ron's relationship, discussing male-female friendship in a manner reminiscent to that of the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally... (1989). According to Sarah Freymiller of Bustle, the protagonists friendship evokes that of Batman and the Joker, "Kim holds the functional and social power, while Ron exerts more of a calming, occasionally slapstick influence on the show ... he is the intelligent, kind chaos in her highly-organized life." Kim and Ron are solely platonic friends for the show's first three seasons and remain best friends even after they start dating in Season 4, defying the popular belief that "being romantically involved is worth more than being in a friendship." The series avoids the popular "Will they or won’t they?" trope often used in television shows, keeping them as a couple for the remainder of the series. Having grown up together and learned from each other's mistakes, Kim and Ron ultimately make up for each other's shortcomings. According to Feminist Fairytales, "Ron has a very relaxed attitude towards life which often provides a balance to Kim's assertive nature and perfectionism, while Kim helps Ron become much more independent and self-reliant." Freymiller also believes Ron might have been conceived because "the creators sensed that television would only be able to accept a strong female character if she had a male counterpart," eliminating fears Kim might be perceived as too bitchy, complementing her actions as opposed to dominating. Hosting a diverse cast of strong female characters while confronting gender norms and barriers, Kim Possible explores feminist themes, specifically third-wave feminism. Alongside several other female-ledanimated series that premiered throughout the decade, which had been experiencing a steady influx in media starring "Teenage Action Chicks with special powers", Kim Possible is considered to be an example of both girl power and power feminism. Similar to the animated shows Totally Spies, Atomic Betty, and The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Kim Possible revolves around an attractive, intelligent, and strong female character whose public identity is meant to indicate that she should be received as a positive role models for young girls. According to Betsy Wallace of Common Sense Media, Kim Possible "capitalizes on the female villain-fighting craze that sparked with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alias", albeit simplifying the genre for a younger generation. Agreeing that the series adopted the then-new "crime-fighting female" formula, Tracey McLoone of PopMatters admitted that Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias and The Powerpuff Girls comparisons are inevitable, but at the same time observed that Kim is more confident than her predecessors, incorporating cheerleading and acrobatics into her fights against enemies, while using traditionally "girly" accessories such as lip gloss and makeup to her advantage in battle. In comparison to Buffy, Kim also approaches her complicated lifestyle more joyfully. Meanwhile, Nicole Rogers of the Wisconsin State Journal believes that Kim resembles what Sydney Bristow of Alias would be like had she been depicted as an animated high school student. According to MTV's Monique Steele, Kim Possible is "all about how girls kick butt"; Kim constantly rescues Ron, saving him from peril on numerous occasions throughout the series. Writing for Wewomen.com, Carla Cain Walther observed that the series "scoffed at the 'damsel in distress' trope used in action films" by having Kim save Ron "using her ingenuity and strength", reinforcing the idea that girls are capable of helping themselves. Identifying Kim as a postfeminist heroine because she is intelligent in addition to being "shaped like Barbie" and having a male assistant similar to female executives, The New York Times' Julie Salamon joked that "Kim's job seems to be making the world safe for cheerleaders again, following the path forged by Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde on behalf of sorority girls." Tor.com's Sarah Gailey observed that while Shego proudly spends much of her time lounging poolside and deciding what she does and does not want to do, Kim is forced "to leap into action regardless of whether she's tired or sad or sick or, heaven forbid, too busy". Bustle's Sarah Freymiller wrote that "Kim offers a model for femininity that both bolsters and works against the typical 'high school cheerleader' stereotype", citing cheerleading as an outlet the character chooses willingly.72 Kim is not a tomboy; Julia Pugachevsky of BuzzFeed credits the series with "showing that you could be traditionally feminine and strong at the same time." Conversely, Geek Chic: Smart Women in Popular Culture author S. Inness argued that Kim Possible reinforces that "girls can do anything they choose" but must look a certain way in order to do so since its female character participate in consumerismand normative femininity that its male characters do not, such as shopping and spending much time on their appearance. Inness also felt that show's feminist potential is compromised by the fact that Kim mostly surrounds herself with male companions as opposed to female, "contradicting the messages of female solidarity". Episodes Main article: List of episodes The Simpsons crossover Main article: Rufus (The Simpsons) A crossover episode of The Simpsons and Kim Possible aired on August 28, 2005 as part of the former show's season 17 premiere. Entitled "Rufus", Season 17, Episode 1 features Lisa Simpson contacting Kim and Ron to help her rescue Homer Simpson, who has been captured by Drakken and Shego in a partnership with Dr. Hamsterviel to clone Bart for an army of obedient monsters. Meanwhile, Marge mistakes Rufus for one of his missing experiments. Hallmarks Opening sequence Main article: Call Me, Beep Me Kim Possible'''s opening sequence is one of the show's most memorable hallmarks. Written by musicians Cory Lerios and George Gabriel, the show's theme song "Call Me, Beep Me" (also known as "Call Me, Beep Me! (The Kim Possible Song)" or simply "The Kim Possible Song") is performed by American recording artist Christina Milian. After meeting with the songwriters, who then proceeded to write the song, for the first time, Milian returned to the studio to record "Call Me, Beep Me" one week later. "Call Me, Beep Me" became a hit, remaining at number one for 12 weeks. The song's success ultimately benefited Milian's career as a performer; she explained, "I never realized that show would give me so much exposure. It's great because people have grown with me, even with that damn song. Didn’t know so many people were watching Kim Possible like that. Because of that song, it actually inspired me to do my own musical animated artist because a lot of people thought I was Kim Possible." Milian has yet to perform the song live in concert but has expressed interest in recording a remix for fans. "Call Me, Beep Me" was the first song Lerios and Gabriel wrote together, and the songwriting duo has since gone on to collaborate on both scoring and writing songs for several other major television networks and programs. Humor The show's humor turns on cultural references that cover a wide spectrum of society so that viewers from all generations can enjoy the show. Such references, for example, come from movies, television, music, literature, science, and history. The animators also regularly add jokes or sight gags into the show's background via humorous or incongruous bits of text in signs, newspapers, billboards, and elsewhere. The audience may often not notice the visual jokes in a single viewing. Some are so fleeting that they become apparent only by pausing a video recording of the show or viewing it in slow motion. Kristin Thompson argues that Kim Possible uses a "flurry of cultural references, intentionally inconsistent characterization, and considerable self-reflexivity about television conventions and the status of the programme as a television show." One of Ron's early hallmarks was his prank calls to Bueno Nacho owner Ned in which Ron calls Ned and asks for a gag name. Ned tries to find that person in the restaurant, but soon realizes it is a prank call and angrily threatens Ron. Reception and legacy Critical response In the days leading up to Kim Possible's premiere, television critics speculated whether or not the show would attract a large enough male audience to be successful despite its female lead and might be a break out hit just like The Simpsons, attributing failure to achieve this feat to the early cancellation of the animated series Madeline. Ultimately, Kim Possible premiered to both widespread acclaim and strong viewership and became a breakout hit. The series continued to garner critical acclaim throughout its run, earning significant praise for its dialogue, humor and animation. Describing the show as "infectious", Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, "Blessed with a modern sense of humor and hip -- but not too hip -- vocabulary, Kim Possible should appeal to the teens (ages 12-16) it clearly targets", while crowning Rufus the series' breakout star. Writing for The New York Times, Julie Salamon also enjoyed Rufus' role, penning, "I probably would have liked Kim Impossible even if one of its lead characters hadn't been a naked mole rat. But the cheerful presence of Rufus (the mole rat) in this new animated series from Fox signals that the show's executive producer and director, Chris Bailey, doesn't mind getting cute in obvious ways." In his book The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present, television historian Tim Brooks appreciated the series for having "a marvelous sense of humor about itself." Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret News praised Kim Possible for being "an entertaining show that should indeed appeal to tweens, younger kids and even their parents" that "plays with the superhero format in a way that doesn't take itself too seriously but doesn't play down to the viewers." Tracy McLoone of PopMatters reviewed, "Kim Possible includes adult humor and pop culture references, in the event that parents feel the need to watch tv (sic) with their kids. But nobody in or watching the series will ever be offended or over-stimulated, or even surprised." While accepting Kim as a positive role model and acknowledging that the series teaches "good lessons" at times, Besty Wallace of Common Sense Media expressed concern about the show's use of action sequences and violence, explaining, "lessons may get muddled and nearly lost as the heroes shimmy up rope ladders dangling from helicopters and dodge spinning tops of doom." Wallace concluded, "As long as you're not expecting too much in the way of educational value, you'll probably have plenty of fun with this one." Writing for Bustle, Sarah Freymiller opined, "Ultimately, Kim Possible was just a solid show. It didn't skimp on plot or dialogue in favor of Wile E. Coyote explosions, and its tongue-in-cheek humor allowed it to be self-aware and hip at the same time." Conversely, Girlfighting: Betrayal and Rejection Among Girls author Lyn Mikel Brown was less receptive towards Kim herself, criticizing the show for promoting the beautiful and thin heroine as "your basic average girl" and apparent reliance on Ron's intelligence, as well as the fact that her "biggest threat" is Bonnie as opposed to evil. According to Brown, "Being the kind of girl who's accepted or befriended by boys underscores a girl's power and sets her against other girls." One of Fox's most popular and successful original shows, Kim Possible remains the project for which Schooley and McCorkle are best known. Few anticipated Kim Possible would become as successful as it ultimately did, proving popular among both male and female audiences. Explaining Kim Possible's universal appeal, the creators said, "Whenever there's an action complement to a show, boys get excited, and when Kim does her martial arts and when she's doing one of these incredible stunts, boys love to watch it ... And one of the things that we’ve always found is that boys of any age ... love humour and characters that are a little goofy, sort of silly and weird. When we tested it, the kids were like: 'Oh, Ron's stupid funny' and that became sort of a buzz phrase." Ron's role helped maintain a strong male audience throughout the series. A poll conducted by Fox revealed that Kim Possible viewers voted for Season 3's "Emotion Sickness" as their favorite episode of the series. It is the third longest-running scripted Fox series (behind The Simpsons ''and ''Family Guy) and the eighth longest-running scripted United Stated primetime television series. Entertainment Weekly ranked Kim Possible second on its list of the 25 greatest Fox Original Series, calling it an "animated gem". Kim Possible was placed at number two on TV Guide's ranking of "The Best Fox Shows". MTV ranked Kim Possible 2nd in its article "15 20th Century Fox Series We Want to Binge Watch". It is frequently featured on lists of the greatest TV shows ever made. The theme song "Call Me, Beep Me" became so popular among fans of both the show and Milian herself that several of them proceeded to download it as their own cell phone ringtones. Early success Kim Possible was the Fox network's second television series to rank among a season's top 30 highest-rated shows. In October 2002, Ron Stoppable quickly became one of the most popular characters on television in what was termed "Ronmania". They became the most prevalent KP ''character on memorabilia, such as T-shirts. In 2003, millions of T-shirts featuring Ron were sold; as many as one million were sold on some days. Believing Ron to be a bad role model, several American public schools banned T-shirts featuring Ron next to captions such as "I'm Ron Stoppable. Who the hell are you?" and "Oh Crap! Wartime!". ''Kim Possible merchandise sold well and generated $2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales. Awards and nominations Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Kim Possible Kim Possible has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series. In its first season, Kim Possible was nominated for its first Primetime Emmy Award in 2003, for Outstanding Animated Program, but lost to The Simpsons episode "Three Gays of the Condo". In 2005, Kim Possible was nominated for a record-breaking total of six Primetime Emmy Awards, the highest number of Emmy Award nominations ever received by the series. The number of nominations was also the highest received by any animated series recognized that year. As of 2018, Kim Possible has won a total of 23 Emmy Awards. Kim Possible's popularity at the Emmy Awards is credited with further proving that the show was popular among both children and adults. In addition to 19 Emmy Award wins and 46 nominations, Kim Possible has also won Parents' Choice Awards and Annie Awards for Best Program and Best TV Series for Children, respectively. It has won 16 Annie Awards, three Environmental Media Awards, fourteen Writers Guild of America Awards, five People's Choice Awards, two British Comedy Awards In 2007, it was included in Time's list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time". In 2008 the show was placed in fifth on Entertainment Weekly's "Top 100 Shows of the Past 25 Years". Empire ''named it the fifth greatest TV show of all time. In 2013, TV Guide ranked ''Kim Possible as the greatest cartoon of all time. Criticism Controversy and censorship The program's staff did not want to create an "educational" series, a stance which bothered Fox. Parent groups criticized the series. Some segments of the show were altered to exclude references to religion, politics, and alcohol. The episode "The Fearless Ferret" had a cross removed from the Pope's hat and the credits changed to "the man with the pointy hat". The same episode had a segment featuring the burning of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights which was removed, while in "Bonding" the last name of the character George Liquor was removed. Several episodes had violent, gruesome, or suggestive scenes shortened or removed, including a sequence involving a severed head, a close-up of Ron's face being grated against a man's stubble, and a scene that was shortened where Ron receives multiple punches to the stomach from a baby. Declining quality Critics' reviews of early Kim Possible ''episodes praised the show for its sassy humor, wit, realism, and intelligence. However, in 2008, around the airing of season 5, the tone and emphasis of the show began to change. Some critics started calling the show "tired". In 2010, the BBC noted "the common consensus is that ''Kim Possible's golden era ended after season four", and Todd Leopold of CNN, in an article looking at its perceived decline, stated "for many fans ... the glory days are long past." Similarly, Tyler Wilson of Coeur d'Alene Press has referred to seasons one to nine as the show's "golden age", and Ian Nathan of Empire described the show's classic era as being "say, the first four seasons." Jon Heacock of LucidWorks stated that "for the first four years seasons, the show was consistently at the top of its game", with "so many moments, quotations, and references – both epic and obscure – that helped turn Team Possible into the cultural icons that they remain to this day." Syndication and streaming availability The cable television network FXX has exclusive cable and digital syndication rights for Kim Possible. Original contracts had previously stated that syndication rights for Kim Possible would not be sold to cable until the series conclusion, at a time when cable syndication deals were highly rare. The series has been syndicated to local broadcast stations in nearly all markets throughout the United States since September 2004. Fox attempted to sell the rights for reruns of the show, but finding networks that were interested was difficult; FX eventually bought the rights, "... basically for free", according to the president of 20th Century Fox Television. Kim Possible premiered in reruns on FX on May 15, 2005, and immediately became the block's top-rated program, dominating late-night viewing in its time period versus cable and broadcast competition, and boosting viewership by 239%. Due to this and favorable DVD sales, Fox announced on November 29, 2005, that the show would be renewed for a fourth and fifth season. FXX premiered Kim Possible on their network on June 7, 2017 by starting a one week marathon which featured the first 297 episodes (every single episode that had already been released at the time) aired chronologically, including Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama ''premiering on June 16, 2017, which FX Networks had already owned the rights to air. The first day of the marathon was the highest rated broadcast day in the history of the network so far, the ratings more than tripled that those of regular prime time programming for FXX. Ratings during the first six nights of the marathon grew night after night, with the network ranking within the top 5 networks in basic cable each night. In July 2017, all episodes were made available for purchase on the iTunes Store, in the United States. On April 12, 2019, due to Disney's purchase of Fox, Fox confirmed that the whole Kim Possible series will be featured on the new Disney streaming service, Disney+. On May 14, 2019, it was announced that FX Networks would share ''Kim Possible with Freeform starting September 2019. Releated media Main article: Kim Possible (franchise) Comic books Main article: List of comics Numerous KP-related comic books have been released over the years. The first comic strips based on Kim Possible ''appeared in 2004 in the magazine ''Kim Possible Illustrated, which was a companion magazine to the show. Films The success of Kim Possible spawned two animated—as well as a live action—films based on the series. The first, Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time, is science fiction-themed and was released on DVD and VHS on December 2, 2003, following Kim as she travels both back in time and into the future to save the world. Dubbed an "extended episode", the film also explores the character's origin, revealing how both she and Ron became crime fighters, and features an all-star cast. The second, Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama, was released in theaters on April 8, 2005 and was a box office success, grossing $645 million at the box office. It was originally going to be the series finale, but due to favorable DVD sales and high ratings for syndicated reruns on Adult Swim, Fox ordered more episodes of the show. On August 10, 2018, 20th Century Fox announced that a sequel is in development. On February 7, 2018, Fox announced on Twitter that they were moving forward in making a live action Kim Possible movie and were beginning casting and would be released on February 15, 2019. On April 25, 2018, Fox announced that Sadie Stanley and Sean Giambrone would portray Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable respectively. On May 25, 2018, Variety revealed casting for six key roles in the movie including Alyson Hannigan as Dr. Ann Possible, Connie Ray as Nana Possible, Todd Stashwick as Drakken, Taylor Ortega as Shego, Ciara Wilson as Athena and Erika Tham as Bonnie. On June 22, 2018, it was announced that Issac Ryan Brown will portray Wade. In August 2018, it was announced Christy Carlson Romano had joined the cast of the film, with Patton Oswalt reprising his role as Professor Dementor. Music Main article: Kim Possible discography Collections of original music featured in the series have been released on the albums Songs in the Key of Middleton, Go Kimsonic with Kim Possible and Kim Possible: Testify. Several songs have been recorded with the purpose of a single or album release and have not been featured on the show. An official Kim Possible soundtrack was released by Back Lot Music on July 1, 2003, featuring "Call Me, Beep Me" and "Could it Be", in addition to other musical contributions from the cast of Kim Possible in addition to various recording artists, including Aaron Carter. Romano also recorded a new song entitled "Say the Word" for the album. A combination of teen pop, pop rock, power pop and R&Bmusic, the soundtrack also features appearances by musical groups A-Teens, Jump5 (performing a cover of Kool & the Gang's "Celebration"), LMNT and Smash Mouth, and Will Friedle and Nancy Cartwright's "Naked Mole Rap", a rapped tribute to Ron's pet Rufus, ultimately concluding with a "work-you-up remix" of the theme song by Tony Phillip. Aimed primarily at the show's young fan base, AllMusic writer Heather Phares reviewed the album as "a better than average children's soundtrack." It was a success, peaking at #3 on the Billboard ''200 and becoming certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Video games and merchandise ''Main article: List of video games, List of books ''and ''List of merchandise The success of Kim Possible spawned numerous video games based on the show; as of 2019, thirty-three video games were released, supported by various gaming consoles and platforms. Some of the early games include Konami's arcade game Kim Possible (2003) and A2M's Kim Possible: Revenge of Monkey Fist ''(2002). More modern games include ''Kim Possible: Invasion of the Robots (2011), Kim Possible Adventures (2014) and Lego Kim Possible (2019). In 2010, Electronic Arts released a game called Kim Possible Arcade for iOS. Another EA-produced mobile game, Tapped Out, was released in 2012 for iOS users, then in 2013 for Android and Kindle users. Two Kim Possible ''pinball machines have been produced: one that was available briefly after the first season, and another in 2007, both out of production. The popularity of ''Kim Possible has made it a billion-dollar merchandising industry. Kim Possible ''merchandise sold well and generated $2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales. In 2008, $750 million worth of ''Kim Possible merchandise was purchased worldwide. In 2010, about 500 companies around the world were licensed to use Kim Possible ''characters in their advertising. In 2010, Peter Byrne, Fox executive vice president of licensing and merchandising, called ''Kim Possible ''"without doubt the biggest licensing entity that Fox has had, full stop, I would say from either TV or film." In the 2000s, millions of T-shirts featuring Kim and Rufus were sold; as many as one million were sold on some days. Believing Rufus to be a bad role model, several American public schools banned T-shirts featuring Rufus next to captions such as "I'm Rufus. Who the hell are you?" and "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')". McFarlane Toys released action figures of Kim, Ron, Rufus, Shego, and Monkey Fist. In 2014 and 2015, Lego sets based on ''Kim Possible were produced, including Drakken's Lair and a set of Collectible Lego Minifigures. Kim Possible has inspired special editions of well-known board games, including Clue, Scrabble, Monopoly, Operation, Chess, Checkers, Pictionary, Battle of the Sexes, Jeopardy, The Game of Life, Don't Panic, Magic 8 Ball, Othello, Scrabble, SORRY!, Poker, Darts, and Wheel of Fortune are all examples of games that have release Kim Possible-related content, as well as the trivia games What Would Ron Do? and Kim Possible Jeopardy!. Several card games such as Top Trumps cards and Kim Possible Trading Card Game have also been released. There have also been a few card games and board games unique to Kim Possible. Some examples are: Kim Possible Game, Kim Possible Loser Takes All!, the So Not the Drama dice game, Kim Possible Mystery of Life, Kim Possible Lost and Found!, and Kim Possible Guessing Game (similar to Guess Who?). In February 2010, McDonald's began their "Mission: Play" Happy Meal toy campaign, which featured eight toys based on the characters in the series. As a promotion for Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama, 7-Eleven, Burger King, and Walmart perched 11 of its stores with 9-foot Rufus inflatables. In May 2003, stores starting selling a juice pouch to compete against juice pouchs such as Capri-Sun and Kool-Aid Jammers called Kim Possible Koolers. On April 9, 2012, the United States Postal Service unveiled a series of five 44 cent stamps featuring Kim, Ron, Rufus, Dr. Drakken and Shego, to commemorate the show's tenth anniversary. The stamps, designed by Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley, were made available for purchase on May 7, 2012. Approximately one billion will be printed. Sony produced a limited edition Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama PlayStation 2. Samsung released the Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama phone, however the quality of build on the phone left it prone to screen damage although the company denied this and claimed any screen damage was 'user related' and denied warranty claims in Australia. Many official or unofficial Kim Possible ''books such as episode guides have been published. Theme park attraction Based on the series, the ''Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure was an interactive attraction that took place in at Universal Studios Florida. The attraction is an electronic scavenger hunt that has guests using special "Kimmunicators" (in actuality, modified cell phones) to help Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable solve a "crime" or disrupt an evil-doer's "plans for global domination." The "Kimmunicator" is able to trigger specific events within the pavilion grounds that provide clues to completing the adventure. Launched in January 2009 and presented by Verizon Wireless, the Adventure is included in park admission. DVD releases Main article: List of home video releases Many episodes of the show have been released on home video over the years.